Railroad-switch



(No Model.)

N. EATON.

RAILROAD SWITCH. v v No. 253,271. Patented Feb. 7,188.2.

UNITED STATES PATENT FFICE.

NATHANIEL EATON, OF MOUNT VERNON, NEW YORK.

RAILROAD-SWITCH.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 253,271, dated February '7, 1882.

Application filed April 9, 1881.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL EATON, of Mount Vernon, county of VVestchester, in the State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Railroad-Switch; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon, making a part of this specification.

Figure 1 is a plan view of my device. Figs. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 are views in detail.

A A are rails of main track B B, rails of side track; 0 (J, switch-rails; D D, rails of main track beyond the switch E, crossbar to move switch and also look it; H,lever tomove switch; I, lever to move switch through lever H; K, a lever to raise and move the upper end of lever I out-of connection with leverH when a train is to be let into the siding B B. This lever is made to slide forward and back in the socket L, as required, by the movement oflever I, made by the train passingonto the side track. Said lever K rests in socket L for a fulcrum to enable the switch-tender or any other person, by bearing down the end outside the track, to lift the end of lever I out of connection with the lever'H. The passing of thelocomotive or car onto the switch will move the lover I, and that will move lever K. The latter, therefore, is made to slide sufficiently on its fulcrum L for that purpose. This lever K is not fastened in any way, because it is intended that the switch-tender shall always drop the lever I into place, after a train has passed onto a side track, before he leaves it. If he did not hold it until the train passed, he mightleave it and then forget to put it in order. L is a socket for lever K to get a bearing; M, pivot which connects cross-barE with lever H; N, pivot which connects lever-H with cross-bar G; O, pivot on which leverHturns; P, pivot on which lover I turns; Q, socket in which the lower end of lever 1 slides; S S S, bars to hold switch-rails O 0 together; ties on which the rails are laid; Y, block with open end to receive catch on under side of bar E Z, block with notch for sides of lever H to bear against when moved to either side.

When a train is to be let on the side-track rails B B the switch-tender, with the cross-bar E, moves the switch-rails O G to meet the sidetrack rails B B. This forces the lever H to move the lever 1, and the outer end of it goes (No model.)

snug against one rail, D, of the main track.

Then the switch-tender, with the lever K,

raises and holds the upper end of lever I out of connection with lever H until the train passes onto the sidetrack rails B B, then he lets it drop into its place. Should a train come on the main-track rails D D before the switch is replaced the flange of the enginewheel would force the lever I (through lever H) to move the switch into connection with the main-track rails A A and pass safely over. The levers H and I are long enough to move the switch before the engine or locomotive reaches it. I lock it by a projection on crossbar E playing into a notch in block Y. The I levers H and I are disengaged, but play into each other when lyin g horizontally flat on the ties between the switch-rails G G and the maintrack rails D D, and reach from the free ends of the switch-rails G O to the ends of one length of the main-track rails D D, which are adjacent to the pivoted ends of switch-rails O G It will be observed in Fig. l on the annexed drawings that when the switch rails O O are in coincidence with the main-track rails A A a passing train does not touch the levers H and I or move the switch-rails 0 (J. I hangmy levers H and I on pivots about two-thirds the distance from their heads, or so far as to give them the sweep to move the switch-head from the side track B B to the main-track rails AA by the flange of the wheel of the engine pressing on the lever I at its base orjunction with the rails of the main track D D. This forces cross-bar E and its projection back past the beveled catch.

What I claim, and wish to secure by Letters Patent, is-

Inan automatic railroad-switch, the combination of horizontal levers H and I, switchrails O O, and cross-bar G, pivoted to lever H, said parts being adapted to be moved by the flanges of the wheels of passing locomotives or cars striking one of said levers, the levers H and I being adapted at their meeting ends to be disconnected to direct a train upon the siding, all substantially as shown and described.

NATHANIEL EATON.

Witnesses:

ELIZABETH F. EATON, HENRIETTA SEARING. 

